Come Here Often?
by hoshiko2kokoro
Summary: Alfred tries to woe a customer with animals. Birthday fic for haro.
1. Side A

Side A

* * *

><p>Alfred first noticed Arthur when he came into the store the first time and thought, "He's got huge 'brows!". Then, when Alfred told him there was a special on fish food and Arthur thanked him, Alfred thought, "He's British!". But Alfred didn't think much of anything after that since Arthur didn't come back after that.<p>

Then, he appeared on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Alfred only glanced over his shoulder at him before turning back to finish wiping the front of the counter. A customer's dog had shaken itself after having come inside from the rain, splattering everyone and startling the birds. Alfred had rushed to attend to the squawking parrots first, and then returned to clean up.

Arthur only started at the store for a moment before he sauntered around. His head swiveled around to take in all of the animals in the small pet shop, never stopping on any creature for long.

Once Alfred had finished cleaning, he sought Arthur out. "Hello, and welcome to The Animal House. Can I help you with anything?"

Arthur looked at him, and then back to the snakes he had randomly stopped in front of it. He blinked at them as if realizing he had decided to stop before them without knowing where he even was. "Oh… No, thank you. Just browsing…"

Alfred smiled and nodded at the snakes. "You like 'em? We get an albino a couple a weeks ago."

Arthur turned to regard Alfred, flashing brilliant green eyes that made Alfred's heart flip in his chest. "Your accent… It's not like other Americans…"

"Sorry 'bout that," Alfred said with a sad smile.

"No, no," Arthur said quickly with a shake of his head. "I was merely inquiring about where you are from."

"Oh!" Alfred pointed a thumb at his chest and grinned. "Born an' raised in Alabama! And you're from England, am I right?"

Arthur nodded.

"Cool!"

Arthur pursed his lips at this. "Yes, well…"

"I'm Alfred!" Alfred said suddenly.

"Ah, Arthur."

The bell rang up front, signaling someone had just entered the shop. Alfred excused himself. Arthur left not much later.

The third time Alfred noticed Arthur was when he found him squatting down to stare at hamsters. He didn't seem interested in them and his face remained as emotionless as it had the previous times Alfred saw him in the shop. Nevertheless, Alfred thought him a bit charming, and couldn't help the desire to talk to him some more.

He slid up beside Arthur, hands behind his back, and bent down. "Cute, huh?"

Arthur didn't start, just simply shrugged. "I guess."

He stood up and then turned to face Alfred. "Why is it Animal House? Isn't that copyright infringement?"

Alfred laughed. "Naw. The 'The' before it makes it sos we can't get 'n trouble."

Arthur nodded, but he didn't say anything more. He just stood there, staring at Alfred expectantly. Then Alfred realized that he was waiting for him to say something more.

"Uh…so…you like hamsters?" Alfred tried with a weak smile and jittery eyes.

"Not really." And Arthur left not long after that.

The next time he came, Alfred held up a cockatiel that was perched on his arm. The bird squawked, flapped its wings, and then scooted up Alfred's arm to stay on the edge of his shoulder. He stared at Arthur with his feathers starting to puff up.

Alfred enthusiastically asked, "Do ya like birds? We got a ton a 'em!"

Arthur frowned at the nervous bird with an arm up as if to protect himself. "Er…no."

The following time, Alfred popped up from around a fish tank and a wild smile, brighter than the previous times. "How about fish?"

And again, Arthur held no interest in those eyes. Eyes that Alfred desperately wished would light up in glee.

He sighed as he deflated on the counter, his hands curling into his hair. Arthur had already left for the day, not interested in the slightest at the chinchillas Alfred had tried to shove in his face. "Man… What should I do…?"

Behind him was his silent co-worker, Tony, who mainly played on his DS and didn't really work. Alfred didn't turn in his chair to talk to him, but knew the man was listening all the same.

"Tony… What should I do? The guy comes in here all tha time. He's gotta buy somethin' soon, right?" Alfred drummed his fingers on the counter, staring at the door. For some reason he imagined Arthur coming in, glancing at him, and walking down a random aisle.

This made him smile.

"What is it he likes…?" Alfred then lifted his head and pounded a fist on the top. "That's it! Dogs! Everyone loves dogs! Thanks fer listenin' Tony!"

As usual, the man didn't reply.

When Arthur arrived at the store a few days later, Alfred let a Golden Retriever puppy loose, and it ran straight for the Briton. The man yelped and jumped back against the wall. The puppy tried to jump up at him, his tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Alfred laughed as he sauntered up to Arthur, only he saw Arthur wasn't startled like he had been with the cockatiel. He was legitimately scared.

"You…don't like dogs, do ya?" Alfred asked, pulling the puppy back.

"N-no!" Arthur breathed. He stared at the puppy as if it were some monster, and not just a puppy. "I… I should go."

Alfred watched in dismay at another failed attempt. The rest of the day, the incident replayed in his head. So much so that when it came to close up shop and Alfred had stumbled into his apartment, he fell face first into his bed. A moment later, his bed dipped lightly and he heard the telltale sounds of purring.

He turned his head to the side and caught the orange and white fur of his Scottish Fold, Sir Fluffles. The cat stared at him with a flick of his tail.

Alfred sighed. "Sir Fluffles… what should I do? I mean, he comes in all the time, but he doesn't buy anything. I mean, I want him ta smile an' all, but I think… I think… Well, he looks so… He's never smilin'. Not that I want him to smile. Most retail people don't, ya know? But… I think… I think he'd look kinda cute if he did.

"Not that! You know, he doesn't now! I mean! He doesn't! Look cute, that is! Oh man, Sir Fluffles! What should I do? I just want to give him a pet so he would smile and not look so damn lonely… Yeah… I'd like to make him smile…"

The cat flicked his tail again and moved to lick his paw. Alfred smiled at his pet's simple movement. Then he sat up to look at the desk across the room. A large hamster cage sat on the one end while a small fish tank with whale stickers stuck on the corners faced him.

He just loved animals. Always had. Had since he was a child and found solace in his old dog, Spirit's, simple nature. No deep thinking and great expectations. Alfred was just free. And for some reason he strongly wished to invite this mysterious Arthur fellow into that same realm.

Then, a thought struck him, and he smiled back at his cat. "Yes! Cats! Maybe he's a cat kinda guy!"

So when Arthur arrived at the pet store on Monday he was surprised to see it so quiet, and completely void of Alfred. Frowning he stepped inside and looked down a few aisles. Then, a white ball of fur rushed past his feet. Arthur followed the creature's movement with his eyes, realizing that it was a white Maine Coon cat.

The cat had a mane of brown, matching his tail, and little marks around his eyes. Arthur bent down as the cat approached him unabashedly. Slowly, Arthur pet his head.

Alfred approached him slowly. His heart beat in his chest. "D-do ya like cats…?

"Yes," Arthur replied quietly. The cat was now rubbing himself around Arthur's legs.

"Oh! He likes you!" Alfred chuckled. "Someone became allergic ta cats, so they left him at the pound. He's up for adoption. Name's Ace."

Arthur then smiled. It was nothing short of beautiful in Alfred's opinion, and it took his breath away. He stared at Arthur as the man melted at the sight of the fat cat, Ace.

Then, he blurted out, "CAN I HAVE YER NUMBER!"

Arthur froze in mid-pat, and then looked at Alfred. He almost looked horrified. Well, to Alfred he did. Probably thought he was queer too. Well, he was considering he just asked a man for his cell phone number.

Alfred promptly seized up and stumbled backwards, stumbling into the shelves that had cat food neatly arranged, now upset by Alfred's clumsiness. "I'm! I'm, oh God. I'm sorry! I didn't even ask if you're _that_ way! And I'm not! But I just! I'm sorry!"

Arthur just continued to watch him, and then took Ace into his arms. "Um… If you wouldn't mind… I actually need help."

"H-huh?" Alfred was thrown for a loop. He stopped trying to escape, and instead stopped, waiting for Arthur to continue.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about caring for cats," Arthur started, looking down at Ace. "Would you mind giving me advice and telling me what I should buy him?"

Alfred's face lit up, and he rejoined Arthur. He showed him down the aisle on what to buy for his meals and giving advice that he should go on a diet with a special type of cat food, explained that the cat was already litter trained so there was no need to hassle with it, showed off toys and pricy beds and strange cat houses, and then finished with mentioning he'll need a check-up at the veterinarian's office. He noticed Arthur wasn't awkward around him at all despite Alfred's rambles and stuttered talks.

But then he realized he was out of things to say. So he did what he knew was best; stall.

"So. Yeah. You can go ahead and look around. O-or, ya know. Just, um. Well, I'll be here fer any questions ya got. An-and maybe you'd like to, um. Well, Ace is goin' to a good home. Yup."

Arthur studied Alfred for a minute, and then asked, "Why did you ask for my number?"

Arthur's face flushed and he looked down at his feet, his red sneakers rubbing against each other. "Well, um… I've never liked a guy before, but yer kinda cute. And… Well, not kinda. You're really cute. And, oh man. I just wanted ya to smile, but then you looked so… Those eyes. They're really…sorta… You're beautiful."

Arthur said nothing. He shifted the sleeping Ace in his arms and pulled out a small notepad. He held it out to Alfred, who took it obediently.

"623-45… Are you getting this?" Arthur asked with an amused smile.

Alfred stared at the paper and then back to Arthur, before snapping into the moment and scribbling down his number. Once done, he tore the piece off and stuck it in his pocket. Then he wrote down his number and handed the pad back to Arthur.

"So, um, yeah… Uh!" Alfred began laughing, rubbing the back of his neck. He was sweaty. Ew. He slapped his hand down on his pants and looked at the fish nearby. "C-can I pick ya up sometime for a date?"

"Hmm…," Arthur mused. He then smiled again. "A date sounds lovely."

* * *

><p><em>Hoshiko2<em>'s cents: This is Part 1 of Haro's birthday fic. Part 2 is the next chapter.

Happy birthday Haro! Thanks for being an awesome mod on the LJ community and an awesome friend! :D


	2. Side B

Side B

Arthur noticed Alfred from outside the pet store. He was wasting time, have a quick drag before he decided he would glance in at the hidden store wedged in between a Laundromat and a sushi bar. He saw Alfred playing with the snakes, and while that in of itself was rather strange, it was the man's smile that drew Arthur to go inside for a few weeks and eventually hand over his cell phone number to the southern boy.

Alfred was beautiful, Arthur knew this, but he was also extremely enticing. His eccentric love of animals kept Arthur intrigued. When he came over to the man's house on a whim when Alfred said, "I have to feed my pets!" Arthur thought he meant maybe a cat or two. He didn't know the man had a small zoo.

"Is that…a turtle?" Arthur bent over and tapped on the glass.

"Ah, yeah." Alfred put the cat's food dish on the floor, and then went to the cupboard, pulling out crickets. "Isn't he awesome? And, here's my snake!"

Arthur watched, amused, but slightly worried. He wasn't a fan of animals, although he certainly did enjoy looking at them, but he wondered just how Alfred did anything else with so many pets. He seemed the social butterfly, but when out for too long, he began to fidget and wonder about his pets.

So Arthur would just come over more often. He brought food sometimes, and Alfred would grimace and eat it because he was a Southern gentleman, but after awhile he would cook up old recipes he loved and introduce them to Arthur. And then he'd teach him about animals, or ramble about odd things animals do, or watch funny animal videos online. And Arthur realized he had nothing to bring to the table.

It was Alfred who was so fascinating, even if his main hobby was anything and everything related to animals. But he still had other little tidbits of him that Arthur found absolutely adorable.

Nevertheless, Alfred was enamored with Arthur, to say the least. When watching a video, Arthur felt Alfred's eyes on him, and know the man was smiling, even if Arthur wasn't doing anything. Or when Arthur sat on the couch and pet Sir Fluffles lazily, he'd notice Alfred from across the room looking over every now and again.

One night, as they lay on the couch, Arthur began to kiss Alfred. He did so normally and enjoyed lying atop him if only to feel every bit of Alfred's body react to him. But he felt eyes on him and knew Sir Fluffles was watching again. The last time this happened, he had pounced on Arthur's butt and startled him, falling on the floor and landing atop of the poor cat.

Sighing, Arthur slipped to the side of Alfred, nuzzling into his chest. "Alfred…?"

"Yeah…?" he breathed in reply. Kissing Alfred always seemed to make the man react in a way like he was shocked, or had just gotten off of a roller coaster. It made Arthur smile.

"What…do you think of me…?"

Alfred chuckled and looked at Arthur. He traced a finger along the curve of his jaw. "Do I really need ta say anythin'…? You know I'm crazy about 'cha."

Arthur smiled, and buried his face deeper into the crook of Alfred's arm. "I just… You're so…fascinating. What could a man like you possibly see in me?"

"Whoa." Alfred sat up, jostling Arthur from his position. "What? Yer always so calm and collected! I thought YOU were the interestin' one!"

Arthur shook his head, his face heating up. While it was true, he was normally the reserved type that seemed a lot more confident than he really was, but in reality, he just didn't know what to say in response to most of what Alfred said. Because he wasn't as interesting.

"I don't have nearly as many interesting things in my life as you do…"

"Sure ya do!" Alfred tapped Arthur on the nose. "For one thing, ya listen to that punk music! I sure didn't think you were that kinda guy. And then there's all your love of tea! I dun think I can ever think of tea the same way again. And don't forget, them bushy 'brows!"

Arthur automatically touched his eyebrows and flushed, embarrassed. "W-what about them?"

"They were the first things I noticed about ya." Alfred winked. He put his hands on Arthur's and made him drop them to his lap. "I like 'em. Draw attention to yer eyes."

Arthur smiled. "Your accent grows thicker when you talk more."

Alfred laughed, leaning in to bump his nose against Arthur's. "Naw. I only do that because I'm talkin' to you more. I get all nervous inside."

"Even after all this time?" Arthur asked quietly. His eyes slipped closed and he framed Alfred's face with his hands.

"Yes," Alfred replied. "Especially after all this time…"

_Hoshiko2_'s cents: So! I just wanted to dabble in on Arthur's POV and expand a little more with Al's love of animals since Haro's prompt was anything fluffy with animals and America's love of them. I hope she enjoyed it! Happy birthday Haro! And thanks for reading, everyone!


End file.
